Airbus's newest aircraft, A350, takes off on maiden flight

Europe's newest passenger jet, the Airbus A350, successfully began its maiden flight on Friday. The A350 XWB is Airbus’ all-new mid-size long range product line comprising three versions and seating between 270 and 350 passengers in spacious three-class layouts.

The new family will bring a step change in efficiency compared with existing aircraft in this size category, using 25 per cent less fuel and providing an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions.

To date the A350 XWB has already won 613 firm orders from 33 customers worldwide. For more details, See the slideshow.